Best Practices in Combatting Violence Against Women: Sweden. CONCLUSIONS 9/9

Sweden is a model country when it comes to women’s rights and in fighting men’s violence against women. The country has a strong history in upholding women’s rights exemplified by their feministic government, strong representation of women parliamentarians and developing legislation enhancing women’s rights. 

The national strategy to prevent and combat men’s violence against women is a priority for the Swedish government, thus the strategy itself is far reaching and inclusive. Prevention as a priority, rather than consequential action has required male participation to be necessary, a key aid in this gender based problem. By ensuring the strategy is well funded, and approaches root problems, Sweden has hopefully tackled this issue effectively. 

Shelters in Sweden are found up and down the country catering to different groups of women, and sometimes running on their own model. The importance of this lies in their effectiveness; they are capable of offering different services in terms of support, and also different funding models allowing for more inclusive services. While traditionally these shelters were only voluntary based, a positive shift in government involvement signals continued professional development. Based on Sweden’s history and the development of women’s shelters in Sweden it is likely while this trend continues, these organisations will nevertheless play a distinct role in both shaping policy and aiding victims. It could be said that the diversity observable in the shelters and organisations, in terms of structure and focal groups, is noteworthy.   

The challenges experienced by vulnerable persons are familiar with all nations. These groups present themselves to be practically difficult to manage due to either their status in law or the social context their group exists in. Importantly, Sweden appears to be aware of the issues raised in this analysis and has embarked upon training initiatives. The services available to women in these groups is observable both in the form of government action, and non-governmental organisations. Moreover, the fact that these services are free is instrumental, and often confidential in combatting men’s violence against women. 

http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/IDAN/2018/604958/IPOL_IDA(2018)604958_EN.pdf